NIGER COUNTRY PROFILE 1

Capital: Niamey

Population: 19.8 million

Total Land Area: Almost 1,267,000 sq.km, making it the largest country in West Africa

Borders: Libya, Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad

Official Language: French, Arabic, Hausa & Songhai

Religion: Islam, Christianity and traditional indigenous religious beliefs

Currency: West African CFA franc

Climate: Mostly subtropical climate and in the south there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin

Terrain: Mostly deserts, sand dunes, uplands and hills with just 2% of the land covered with forests, woodlands and flat to rolling savanna

Natural Resources: Uranium, Coal, Iron ore, Tin, Phosphates, Gold, Molybdenum, Gypsum, Salt, Oil

National Day: 3rd August (Independence Day and also Arbor Day)

National Symbol: Gazella dama is the national symbol of Niger

National Anthem: “La Nigérienne”

Key Landmarks: Gadoufaoua fossil graveyard, The Zuma Rock, Emir’s Palace

Wildlife: Antelopes, Gazelles, Elephants, Giraffes the West African Lion and the Northwest African Cheetah

REPUBLIC OFNIGER

FAST FACTSRepublic of Niger: A vast and arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert, Niger endured austere military rule for much of its post-independence history having had seven constitutions and two periods of rule by decree. Despite being rich in natural resources Niger is rated as one of the world’s least-developed nations that fell victim to a series of coups and political instability following its independence from France in 1960.

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1922

1960

1968- 1973

1974

1985- 1997

1987

1991

1993

1996

2007

2000- 2001

2010

2003

2012

2005

2017

NIGER BECOMES A FRENCH COLONY

NIGER DECLARES INDEPENDENCE WITH HAMANI DIORI AS PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT DIORI IS OVERTHROWN BY LT. COLONEL SEYNI KOUNTCHE

SOME 60 MILLION TREES WERE PLANTED OVER THIS PERIOD TO STAVE OFF THE ENCROACHING SAHARA DESERT THAT EXPANDS BY 500,000 ACRES EACH YEAR

PRESIDENT SEYBOU WAS STRIPPED OF HIS POWERS FOLLOWING A CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE

MAHAMANE OUSMANE BECOMES THE FIRST DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF NIGER

PRESIDENT OUSMANE WAS OVERTHROWN IN A COUP LED BY COL. IBRAHIM MAINASSARA

HUNTING OF WILDLIFE BANNED IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE THE LION, GIRAFFE, AND HIPPO POPULATIONS

NIGER MAKES SLAVERY A CRIME WITH A PENALTY OF UP TO 30 YEARS IN JAIL

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT NIGER HAS THE HIGHEST RATE OF CHILD MARRIAGE IN THE WORLD

MORE THAN 3 MILLION PEOPLE IN NIGER ARE AFFECTED BY A DEVASTATING FOOD CRISIS THAT HITS 9 COUNTRIES IN THE SAHEL REGION

ALI SEYBOU BECOMES THE THIRD PRESIDENT OF NIGER SUCCEEDING HIS COUSIN LT. COLONEL SEYNI KOUNTCHE

LIVESTOCK AND CROP PRODUCTION ARE DEVASTATED BY A SEVERE DROUGHT AND A SEVERE FAMINE HITS NIGER

OVER 3.6 MILLION PEOPLE WERE IN NEED OF FOOD, AMONG THEM 800,000 MALNOURISHED CHILDREN

A SERIES OF DEADLY ATTACKS WERE CARRIED OUT BY TUAREG REBELS AND PRESIDENT MAMADOU TANDJA DECLARED A STATE OF ALERT

NIGER WAS DESCRIBED AS THE POOREST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. NORTHERN NIGER, RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES, PRODUCED SOME 3,500 TONS OF URANIUM PER YEAR

NIGER FACES THE WORST HUNGER CRISIS IN ITS HISTORY, WITH ALMOST HALF THE COUNTRY’S POPULATION AROUND 7 MILLION PEOPLE IN DESPERATE NEED OF FOOD AND UP TO ONE IN SIX CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM ACUTE MALNUTRITION

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REPUBLIC OF NIGER TIMELINE

NIGER COUNTRY PROFILE 3

GOAL 1 NO POVERTY

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

GOAL 4 QUALITY EDUCATION

Ensure every child has access to quality education

GOAL 6 CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

GOAL 2 ZERO HUNGER

End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

What can be done to ensure that every child has sufficient and nutritious food in order to

grow up healthy?

The world must work together to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)1, 2, 4 and 6 in Niger

KEY WORDS• Colony: A country or area under

the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country

• Humanitarian Crisis: An event or series of events that causes a critical threat to the health, safety, security or wellbeing of a community or other large group of people.

• Famine: Widespread scarcity of food caused by several factors including crop failure, population imbalance or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality

• Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture

• The Impact of Colonisation on Niger: Many African Nations were under colonial rule until the mid-twentieth century, the impact of which is still felt today

CONFLICT AND INSTABILITY IN NIGERNiger has seen a great deal of conflict and instability since gaining independence in 1960, which is one of the leading factors to Niger still being considered as one of the least developed nations.

Despite the fact that the country has one of the biggest reserves of uranium in the world, it still remains in extreme poverty. Multiple coups followed by military rule, combined with Niger having had several devastating droughts and famines and having one of the lowest adult literacy rates in West Africa, are but a few of the factors contributing to Niger’s instability.

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WRITTEN BY: Olga Brodescu - Active Citizenship, Concern Worldwide

What is Concern Worldwide doing in Niger: Concern Worldwide has been working in Niger since 2003 when it established a primary school education programme in Tahoua region.

Our work in Niger focuses on health, nutrition and food security through an integrated resilience-building programme that combines livelihoods, health, nutrition, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and education programmes in one specific geographical area that covers 29 villages. Our health and nutrition programme in Niger combines two projects – one that focuses on resilience, and the other on preventing chronic malnutrition.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health our programme recognises that a multifaceted approach is required to address the problem of extreme poverty in Niger. It requires investment not only in agricultural and livestock production, livelihood diversification and nutrition, but also in environmental projects, health, education, water and sanitation, gender inequality and reproductive health.

Niger suffers from one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, particularly among girls. According to UNESCO, the average Nigerien has only had 1.4 years of education in their lifetime.

Concern’s education programme focuses on improving education quality. Working with the Ministry of Education across 33 schools, we are training teachers on the curriculum and child rights, while also helping school committees to develop their management skills and training school directors in school management.

Agadez

Diffa

Zinder

Maradi

Tahoua

Dosso

Niamey

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PRODUCED IN 2017